“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do anything, including cutting off their energy — with a smile on my face,” Ford stated. “They need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard? We’ve got to go back twice as hard.”

Speaking with NBC, Ford emphasized Ontario’s role in supplying power to U.S. states, saying: “We [Ontario] keep the lights on in 1.5 million homes and [in] manufacturing in New York, in Michigan, and in Minnesota.

“If he wants to destroy our economy and our families, I will shut down the electricity going into the U.S.”

Ford later doubled down on his stance while addressing a mining convention in Toronto. According to the Toronto Sun, he reiterated: “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face.

“They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.”

He added: “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.

“The provinces have a big say in it, but it’s the federal government that’s leading the charge, and we’re going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder no matter who’s in the federal government.”